Descent
by Helen Highwater
Summary: It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head. Sally Kempton. I apologize, but I am unable to continue this story. Please look to Catalyst, who has kindly agreed to take up the torch for me. Thank you so much, Catalyst!
1. June 12, 2:35 AM

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**Please do not assume that I, as the author, am incapable of writing properly. This reads the way I intended it to. More chapters will follow.**

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**_"Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence." - Edgar Allan Poe_**

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June 12 - 2:35 AM

Starting this journal now. Pretty hard when my thoughts aren't my own. Not all mine, anyway. Easy enough to clear that part up. I have something in there, something in my mind. Something got its hooks into me and won't let go. I am a little bit nervous about it, but I'm not scared. It is just weird. Like the first time hearing music through a set of headphones. I remember that. I remember doing that. Before then music came out of scratchy speakers. Splinter gave me some headphones after that. I remember the music was right there. It wasn't from somewhere else. I remember the music came into both of my ears at the same time and seemed to meet in the middle of my mind. It was like it was coming from inside of my head. That's what it's like now. It isn't music, though. Not words, either. Other thoughts. From right there, like through headphones. Sliding in through both sides of my head and meeting in the middle. Thoughts meeting in the middle.

I can't tell my brothers. They wouldn't believe me. Too much time awake, they'd say. Too much time on the computer. No, not too much. I wasn't on the computer when I felt it the first time. I know I wasn't. I was in bed. I still wish I knew what it was. Maybe I should talk to Splinter about it. Maybe. Maybe just walk up and say, "Dad, I need some advice". Yeah. I could do that. Maybe I could do that. I'll do that in the morning. I don't want to wake him up right now, though. It is late. He doesn't sleep much, but when he does he doesn't like to be bothered. I'll talk to him in the morning. I should sleep, too.

I'm hungry. I want something to eat, but it is too late for anything heavy. I want something. I want something red. What do we have that's red? I want something red and warm. What do I want? I can't figure it out. I don't know. I have been up too long, anyway. I should go to bed. I'll talk to Splinter in the morning. It is morning, though. It's early morning. Too early. Or too late. I shouldn't wake him. I'll talk to him in the morning. I'm hungry. What do we have that is red? I'll check in the morning. It is morning. I'll check later in the morning. I should go to sleep now.


	2. June 12, 5:43 PM

June 12 - 5:43 PM

I don't know what to make of this -- or why I am continuing it. I found this text doc in a password-protected folder a little while ago, but I can't recall creating it. I went to bed at around eleven last night, I don't remember getting out of bed until around six this morning, but the properties list the folder as being created at 2:27 AM. At first I figured one of the guys must have been fooling around with my computer while I was asleep, but when I put my fingers on my keyboard I just somehow knew the password. I still thought that the guys might be behind it, though. At least, I did until I got to that part about the headphones. I never told anyone about it, but that was exactly the way it felt to me when I got my first set. It really did feel like the music was in my own mind.

I guess it could have been me that started this "journal", after all. Maybe I was sleepwalking. It wouldn't be the first time I did that. I remember one time when I was a kid I dreamed that I was on a space-walk and had to repair a satellite; when I woke up, I discovered that I had completely disassembled the Nintendo. I never put something back together so fast in my life. This could be something like that, but I can't remember any dreams that might have chased me out of bed last night. In fact, I can't remember anything from the time I went to sleep to the time I got up.

I did wake up hungry this morning, though. I guess I never went and got whatever red thing it was I was craving. Why in the hell would I write something like that? Something "red and warm"? Makes me sound like some kind of vampire. I was probably thinking about the two-day Bela Lugosi marathon Mikey had a couple weeks ago. He got so wrapped up in it that he didn't sleep for the whole weekend, and when he finally managed to close his eyes he had nightmares and ended up crawling in bed with me. I don't doubt it was his little dream-induced mumblings that dug into my brain and made me type out what I did last evening.

It doesn't really matter, I guess. I was probably right about one thing I wrote last night, though: I shouldn't tell my brothers. I'm pretty sure they'd think I've gone crazy. I suppose I could go and talk to Splinter about this, but since I don't know what "this" is yet, I am going to keep it to myself for just a little while. I'll hang on to this folder and journal, and maybe something will come to me later. If nothing else, it'll be something to laugh about down the line.


	3. June 13, 1:56 AM

June 13 - 1:56 AM

I could use some air. It's stuffy in here. I'm going to go out and get some air. In a little while. My brothers are sleeping. I should be sleeping but I need to get out for a while. I'm hungry, too. I should grab a bite. What do I want? We don't have much here and everything is too sweet. I could get something when I go out. Sounds good. Maybe I will know what I want when I see it. It is late, though. No place will be open. No. This is New York. Lots of places will be open. I'm sure I'll find out what I want. Something hot sounds good right now. It is hot here, but something hot would taste good.

I should ask Splinter if he needs anything while I am out. But he is sleeping. I shouldn't wake him. I wonder if I should still talk to him. I was going to talk to him about something yesterday but I don't think I did. I can't remember what I was going to talk to him about. Must not have been very important. I think I was worried before. Why should I be worried? So there's a little bit of nudging in my mind. Smart people have that. They have little thoughts that seem to come from somewhere else. It's just my mind telling me things, like it should. Just another kind of figuring, the meeting of imagination and intellect. There is nobody else here I can talk to about these things I come up with, anyway. Not so bad to talk to myself when I am the only one that bothers to listen.

There is a store streetside. It's just out and to the left of the Greensboro at Crawford manhole. Small little convenience store. It is open at this time of night. I can go there to get something to eat. There shouldn't be too many people there to see me. I should be safe, I shouldn't be easy to notice. I think I will head there now. I could use some air, anyway. Good time of night for some air. A little late for a midnight snack, though. Two time zones away from a midnight snack. That's ok. It's midnight somewhere. Maybe I will just get whatever looks good. Whatever is hot. But I don't have any money. How am I going to get something to eat if I don't have any money? I'm going to have to figure it out. I'll go streetside and I'll figure it out.

Maybe I should take a shower. It is stuffy in here. A shower would be nice. But I am still hungry and I want some air. I'll get something to eat while I am out. I can take a shower later. I can get home and take a shower and then go to bed. The guys will never know that I went out. I don't think I want them to know that I am going out. They'd tell me I should be sleeping. They think I don't sleep enough. I'll go to bed when I get back and then sleep in late. I like night better than morning, anyway. I'm going to go and get some air now. I hope I figure out what I want to eat. I wish I knew.


	4. June 13, 3:17 PM

June 13 - 3:17 PM

I almost forgot about this thing until I went to check my email earlier and saw the folder on my desktop. I am still not convinced that it is me writing in this thing at night. If I had done what I (apparently, I, at any rate) claimed I was going to do last night (go out and get something to eat) I wouldn't have woken up hungry again this morning. This has to be Mike's doing. I'm willing to bet that he's been sneaking in and writing this stuff to try and frighten me. I wouldn't put it past him to try and get back at me for the teasing I gave him after the vampire marathon.

He knows that I talk to myself sometimes. For some reason, he tends to think that doing things like that places me somewhere a bit higher than him on the crazy scale. I tried to explain to him that it is just another way of thinking -- that saying things out loud, even to yourself, sometimes makes thoughts seem more solid, makes it easier to realize the mistakes you are making along the way. Come to think of it, I may have mentioned the headphone thing to him at one point, as well. That would explain how he knew about the way it felt the first time I listened through them. I still can't explain how I knew the password, though. Maybe he whispered it to me when I was sleeping. Mikey is a smart guy, whatever he lets on, and he's probably had this planned out for a while now.

You hear that, Mikey? I'm on to you. If you are reading this (and I am sure you are reading this) I am going to catch you in the act. In fact, if you have read this far, you have already been caught. I'll bet you left the wet towel on my floor, too. I was wondering where that came from this morning. Nice way to try and add a touch of doubt, but you had better not do it again. In case you haven't noticed, the lair tends to attract mold in the summertime. The last thing I want is that mold growing in my bedroom. I have allergies.


	5. June 14, 4:22 AM

June 14 - 4:22 AM

It was nice out. Hot and dry. Glad I went for a while. Worth it, really. Well worth it. Nice summer night for a stroll and a bite. I had to get out. I just had to get above ground. I'm so sick of being here that it hurts to breathe. Above ground is better on nights like this. No little bowl like it is here. I wonder like this guy that Splinter told me about. Some guy that died in China said he dreamed he was a butterfly. Then he woke up. Didn't know if he wasn't maybe really a butterfly dreaming he was a man. Maybe I never left that bowl. Maybe me and my brothers are still in there. Sleeping. Dreaming that we're walking around on two legs. Trying to get by in some little illusion. I feel like I am in the bowl here at home. Hot and humid and resting and waiting. Nothing like being free. I don't want to be given things. I want what I can get for myself. Not so abnormal, is it?

No, you know. I am not abnormal. I'm normal enough. I used to be mad about this place. Not the lair. I used to be mad about this place people put us in. This place in their minds. Freaks and all that. Scary, frightening freaks. We're not animals. I'm not an animal. I'm a big, talking turtle. So of course I must be something to be scared of. Talking. They should notice that part. Talking. Talking is thinking. Thinking is sentience. They think anything different must be evil. I'm not evil. I'm an animal. Animals aren't evil. Animals do what they have to do to survive. That isn't evil. That's self-preservation. Self-preservation is what people call it. Survival animals call it. No, animals don't call it anything. Animals don't think. I think. I'm not an animal. I do what I have to do to survive.

I don't worry about what they say anymore. I'm over it. I don't mind now. Really I don't. It's ok. Feels fine to me, where I am. I feel like I've never been better. Well, better once or twice. I could be a lot better than this, though. I could be better if someone wasn't watching me. All I wanted was a bit of air and a bite to eat. No need to be nosy. I hope you saw what you wanted to see. Don't do it again. Up to you. Up to me, maybe. Funny how that works. Funny, but no fair watching.

No fair watching.


	6. June 14, 12:44 PM

June 14 - 12:44 PM

I was wrong. I set up a video camera to catch Mikey last night. I was so sure it was him just fooling around, but it wasn't. I caught myself, instead. Right there -- right on camera. I saw myself get out of bed, I walked to the computer, then I stopped and turned around. I went to the camera where it was hidden between some text books and I just stared into the lens. I've never looked into my own eyes before, but there I was, just staring back at myself. Then I turned off the camera. I mean, last night I did it. I guess that means Mike's off the hook (it probably also means I am around the bend).

As strange as it seems, I feel as if I am snooping in on somebody else's private thoughts when I read this journal. At least, when I read the nighttime entries. I can't remember writing any of it. Hell, it doesn't even sound like me. That one last part was a little scary, too. "No fair watching." I actually got a chill when I read that. Was I talking to myself about the camera? Did I even realize I was going to be reading this today? I'm pretty sure that isn't the way somnambulism works.

I have to do something about this. I was so tired today that I slept in until almost noon. The guys didn't wake me up earlier for some reason. I guess they probably assumed that I had been up late working on something or other again. Maybe it would be a good idea to ask Leo to keep watch on me tonight, since he is less likely to give me a ribbing about sleepwalking than Mike and Raph are. At the very least, he can keep an eye on me and see if I have actually been going to the surface. Still, might be a good idea for me to not mention this journal. Keep it simple -- I'll just tell him that I think I might be walking in my sleep, and that if I do it again tonight, don't wake me, just watch to make sure I don't do anything stupid or dangerous. That is going to be a difficult conversation to pull off, but if I can trust anyone to help me out with this, it's Leo.

There is one thing that is really nudging at me, though. The time index showed that I shut the camera off at 2:13 AM, but the next journal entry wasn't until a couple hours later. I don't know what I did in the interim. I don't think I want to know.


	7. June 15, 11:27 AM

June 15 - 11:27 AM

Well, without actually saying too much about why I wanted him to do it, I managed to talk Leo into keeping an eye out for me last night. He was pretty receptive about the whole thing and promised not to mention my sleepwalking to Mike or Raph, though he did say that I was going to owe him big time for it. He told me that he stayed up all night (I'm inclined to believe him, he stayed up for 72 hours once without even batting a lash -- metaphorically speaking, of course) and that I was in bed the whole time. He did mention that I sat up at one point, but all I did was stare at the wall for a couple of minutes, then went back to sleep (actually, I think I was already asleep). Not that I remember doing that or anything, but it is a step in the right direction, at least. And I guess it goes without saying (so, why am I saying it?) that there was no journal entry from last night.

Funny thing, too -- I don't remember dreaming last night. I usually dream at least a little every evening, and I almost always remember what it was about afterwards (I've come up with more than one new innovation that way -- lovely thing, the subconscious), but for the past few days, I haven't been able to remember dreaming at all. And I've been waking up tired. Even today I woke up exhausted, and from what Leo told me, I slept for a good nine hours. I just don't get it. My whole body feels worn down in the mornings now, like I've been tensing my muscles the whole time I've been sleeping.

Anyway, last night was a good sign, I think. Seems like either this whole thing is over, or sleepy-Don doesn't like company. I'll see how tonight goes before I start to worry about it, though. Now I just have to find out what Leo wants in return for babysitting me.


	8. June 16, 2:21 AM

June 16 - 2:21 AM

It was a mistake last night. I made a mistake. You made a mistake. Watching me again. Electronic eyes, living eyes. Same thing. I warned you. You should have used the camera again. If you'd used the camera I'd have broken it. You didn't use a camera. You used a brother. What am I supposed to do? Break a brother? Do I have to do that just so I can get some privacy? Some peace?

Or maybe go out again. Better to get out of the bowl. Better not to linger and contemplate. Better to leave family out of your thoughts when there's something you need to do. Nice night to go out. Any night is nice when it isn't down here in the bowl. I have to gather some things. It is going to be a long night. It is early yet. I have to make sure I'm ready this time. I wasn't ready last time. I don't think it is going to rain. I hope it rains. I have a reason to want rain. Nice to have a reason to want something that nobody else wants. I don't like the rain, but I want it to. It washes so much away, the pouring rain. I don't know songs. I know that song. How was it? I can't remember all the words. How did it go?

"Standing in the pouring rain. All alone in a world that changed. Running scared now forced to hide. He'll find his way by the morning light."

I heard it through headphones a long time ago. Coming from the inside of my head.

"Through the chill of winter. Hunters hard right on his trail. All odds are against him. With a family to provide for the one thing he must keep alive. Will the wolf survive?"

I remember the farm. I thought I heard wolves one night. I didn't hear howling, I heard them tearing at flesh. The sound came through wood and glass. It woke me and I went out to watch. I was surprised that they weren't wolves. They were dogs. Domesticated once, then free. They were dogs one time, but wolves again. They looked at me, they didn't come near me. I kept watching. The pack ripped through flesh, crushed bones. I went back to sleep thinking about it. I dreamed about it. Bones and torn flesh. Blood on snowy ground. I dreamed about it. Ferocity. Men would call it that, wouldn't they? But the wolves know better.

"Two strong legs to guide him. Two strong arms keep him alive. Will the wolf survive?"

Yes.


	9. June 16, 2:04 PM

June 16 - 2:04 PM

My god. What the hell is going on here? This is getting crazy. I didn't wake up until about half an hour ago, so I am guessing I must have been up late (really late) last night. I don't know where I went or what I did, but what I really don't know what to make of is how I woke up on a bare bed. My sheets are gone. I thought that maybe I might have sleepwalked them to the laundry room for some reason, but when I went to look for them they weren't there. I don't know where they went. They're just gone. So now my subconscious is pulling practical jokes on me.

Something else odd, too. I had forgotten about the wolf incident, but it did really did happen just after Christmas last year. The guys and April were all sleeping, and I actually heard what I said I heard -- snarling growls and tearing. I did everything I said I did, but it didn't feel the way I explained it. At the time I was just curious -- I didn't know that there were wolves in Northampton. But it turned out that they weren't wolves, anyway. They were wild dogs. They probably escaped from their owners and spent the next couple of generations getting back to their roots. Yes, it was interesting, but it wasn't something I would want to emulate. From what I wrote last night, someone might think that I wanted to be like them -- it made me sound like I wanted to run away and join the pack.

I am really beginning to get worried now. I'm worried that I may be going crazy, I'm worried that I may end up hurting someone, I'm worried that whatever is causing this might slip over into my waking hours. But what worries me most is something that, normally, I would have no reason to be worried about at all -- the fact that I wasn't hungry when I woke up today. I've been hungry the last few mornings (afternoons?), so why am I not now? And did I actually threaten to hurt Leo? I would never do that, but the way I wrote it, it sounded as if I was giving myself a warning. Now that I think about it, I may actually have been talking to myself. I think the "me" from last night is trying to communicate with the "me" of today. It doesn't make a damn lick of sense, but it really reads that way.

I have to talk to Splinter about this. Or Leo, maybe, since he already knows about my sleepwalking thing. Hell, it doesn't matter who I talk to, I just have to talk to somebody about this before it gets too far out of hand. If it hasn't already.


	10. June 17, 4:19 AM

June 17 - 4:19 AM

You stayed up late, didn't you? Tried to stay up all night. Didn't work, did it? You were too tired. It's ok to sleep. Don't be afraid. Want to know a secret? I'm tired, too. I'm tired of people praising me, then doing better than me. They are so condescending. Liars. I'm tired of people who are better than me. Those people. Come on, step right up. Go ahead, tell me how "great" I am doing, so you can go back to your better things and laugh at me. Go ahead. Go ahead. Come on.

You didn't tell them. Splinter and Leo. You were too scared to tell them. Scared of what they would think of you. Still won't tell them tomorrow. The next day. Next day. You won't tell them, you won't ask for help. You can handle this, right? You're a genius, right? Supposed to be, anyway. You know why you won't tell them. You and me, we can work this out. We'll figure it out. It'll be ok.

Sorry about the sheets. I needed them. Same as needing something from your brothers and borrowing it. Can't say why. Not now. Sorry you won't be getting them back. I don't think you'll want them now. It didn't rain last night. Rain would have helped. It didn't rain, though, so you won't get them back. There are more in the closet, so it's ok. I didn't take any tonight. I didn't need them this time. I planned it better this time. You want to know, don't you? I shouldn't say. It'll be ok. You'll see.

You surprised me when you wrote in here the first time. I thought this was my journal. It was supposed to be mine. At first I was mad at you for writing in it, but not now. It's nice to have someone to talk to. The butterfly dreaming he's a man, wishing he was a wolf. Qui dormit, non peccat.


	11. June 17, 2:28 PM

June 17 - 2:28 PM

So, that's what it is, then? I get it now. This isn't really a journal, it is a means of communication.But, why? Why am I (you?) doing this? Is this the only way I have to to figure anything out? It doesn't make any sense, but there has to be a reason for it.

Ok, fine then. Since it has come down to this, you were right about one thing -- I didn't tell Master Splinter or Leo. Yes, I am scared of what they would think. I know for a fact that they won't judge me poorly for what is going on, but that doesn't change the fact that it frightens me to let them down. Master Splinter taught us all to keep our thoughts under control, but right now I don't feel like I am doing that. I feel like, because of all of this, he'll think I failed him. Leo, too. I don't think he understands how much I look up to him, how much I wish I could be in constant control, like he is. Most of the time I feel like I am doing a halfway decent job at it, but now "you" show up and I'm beginning to wonder if all that control has been some kind of illusion. I need their help with this, and I am going to ask them for it unless you tell me exactly why you think "we" can handle it "alone". Give me a good reason, and I will consider it.

I still can't believe that I am talking to myself, but I have to know something. I want some answers. Please. The way you were talking (writing), it made it sound like you wanted to hurt somebody. Please, tell me you haven't been doing that. What did you need the sheets for? Tell me what it was you planned "better". And what did you mean by "Qui dormit, non peccat" -- "He who sleeps doesn't sin"? Are you trying to excuse your actions? My actions? Please don't go out tonight. I don't know what you are doing, but tonight, don't do it. If you think we can work this out, then stay in and work with me on it. Help me to figure out some way to stop all this. Please, help me to end it.


	12. June 18, 3:47 AM

June 18 - 3:47 AM

Questions, answers, questions. You know I like to answer questions, don't you? Makes me feel like I have a reason. Makes me feel like there is some point to me. I like when people ask me questions. It proves that I know more than they do. Ok. Answers. Some answers. Not all. That would be telling. Do you really want to know? No. You don't want to know. But I do love to answer questions.

The sheets. The sheets are gone. Why are you still worried about them? They came in handy. White sheets to to lay on. Red sheets to clear it away. Winding sheets for their purpose. Don't worry about the sheets. You have more. I won't be needing them again. It's ok. There are other options. You know there are always options. You see a problem. You think about it. You come up with solutions. That is what you do. If one solution doesn't work, you try another. Another. Another. There are always options. There is always another solution. My solution was a different course. A different means. It worked first. It worked again. It worked tonight. Sorry, but I just couldn't stay in. It is too stuffy down here in the bowl. Much better to get out for a while.

You still won't tell them, though. Won't tell Splinter, Leo, Mikey, Raph. You won't let them know. They don't need to know and it is better if you don't tell them. Better for them. They trust you, they know you. They don't know me. They woudn't understand me. You have to sleep some time, and then it is my time. You can't always stay awake. Just a drifting mind and then you drop off. They'll see you, so peaceful. Just staring at the sleeping you, they'll tire. Everybody sleeps. They sleep, too. When they sleep, I am awake. I like the way that works. But I don't want to do that. Ok? They don't deserve it. Not them. Some people deserve it, but not them. Don't tell them.

You don't understand me, either. You still want to know why I am here. I am just here. I'm here because you need me. I need you, too. I won't always need you, though. Won't be long before the butterfly stops dreaming. Qui dormit, non peccat. Facilis descensus Averno.

See you soon.


	13. June 18, 3:54 PM

June 18 - 3:54 PM

God, you keep on dropping hints, but you haven't told me a damn thing. If you are so much a part of me, then why the hell are you trying to keep everything a secret? Don't think I didn't understand the symbolism in the "white, red, winding sheet" babble. Yes, I know what winding sheets are. Of course I do -- if you know what it is, I know what it is. So stop beating around the bush and just say something if you intend on saying it. Just tell me what you have been doing! Have you been hurting people? And what the hell are you talking about people "deserving it"? Are you threatening my family? If you are so much a part of me, you know that I'd never let anyone hurt my family. Not even me.

You know what? Forget this. You are nothing but a sleepwalking nightmare, and I am going to end that nightmare tonight. I have had enough of this, enough of you. I am going to talk to Leo, and if he and I can't figure it out together, then I'm going to talk to Master Splinter. I am done with you.


	14. June 19, 1:24 AM

**I am reposting this chapter because I wanted to thank you all for reading what I have posted in the short time I have been here. I am sorry to say that, due to circumstances beyond my control, I will be unable to continue this story. However, it is being rescued and continued by the very talented and wonderfully kind Catalyst (I am unable to link to her here, but you can find her in my Favorite Authors). Please look to her for the continuation and eventual conclusion of this tale! **

**With love and hope, Helen**

**_HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_**

June 19 - 1:24 AM

You and Leo did stay up late, didn't you? Meditating. Trying to clear your mind for a good night's sleep. Good try. So, you told him. Of course you did. You told him about me. Good try. You told him about the journal. Didn't let him read it, though. That wasn't very smart. You are smart. Even smart people do stupid things. If he would have read the journal his guard wouldn't be down. No. He's ok. You know he's ok. You'll wake up and see him and know. But he's sitting on the other side of the room watching me. He thinks he is watching you.

Didn't take much, really. You fell asleep right away. I don't have to wait. I am here as soon as you are under. And you wonder why you are so tired all the time. So easy to toss and turn, pretend that I can't sleep. He thought you were still awake. I rolled out and told him I couldn't sleep. Told him I had to work on something. Easy. Funny. He just told me I should try to get some rest. Suggested we meditate some more. Funny. No, Leo. I have work to do. Working clears my mind better than meditating does, Leo. I'm working now, Leo. He just doesn't know. And that's what it is, isn't it? Thinks he's watching you. I can't go out tonight. He's sitting there watching me. Leo is staring at the back of my head. I can't go out. I want to go out.

The night I remembered the song I wanted to get out. Sorry I took the sheets. I wanted something to sit on. The ground is wet at night in the park. Central Park. I went there a few nights. A few nights in a row, a few nights ago. Trees swaying out in the wind were pretty. Poetic. There were wolves among the trees in Northampton. Cold, winter-worn dogs. I remembered them. I remembered watching them. That was that night. Those wolves -- those wild dogs. I remembered what they killed. You might think it was a deer. Maybe something docile like that. But you remember. You remember, don't you? I remember, too. Sorry I took the sheets. I meant to bring them back. Plans changed. I couldn't bring them back.

He is still watching me. Leo is watching. You still want to know what happened. What I did. Be nice. Be good and I'll tell you. Tell Leo to stay in his own room tomorrow and I'll tell you. Don't and maybe something will happen. Maybe. He is better than me. At fighting, Leo is better than me. Better than you. You know that, I know that. You could never fight him and win. Never. There are always options. There are always other solutions. Splinter, Mike, Raph. They're sleeping. I could tell Leo I need to go to the bathroom. I could excuse myself for a few moments. He'd let me go. He trusts you. He knows you. Doesn't know me, though. The others are in bed. Sleeping on winding sheets.

Verbum sat sapienti.


End file.
